Online life is supposed to be convenient. But the internet is no different than a crowded city. Most of the time, we get lost, get tired, and fall into a vicious cycle of getting to work and getting distracted. Hence, here are 5 apps to make online life more convenient.

5 apps to make online life more convenient

Opening multiple ungroup tabs can be messy. Workona allows you to create a workspace to group your tabs. With Workona, you can switch from all your school tabs to all your social media tabs. You can also save important tab links in its resources feature. Moreover, you can also type down all your online tasks in the app and open those tasks as a tab.

Workona

Keeping up with your classes can be tiring. Papers and notes can get lost. But Zoho Notebook, allows you to screenshot PowerPoint presentations, take down online classes' notes in real-time, organize them into online notebooks, and lastly, sync all these notes across all devices.

Zoho Notebook

Manually editing your essays, Gmail letters, and Facebook chats can be exhausting. Grammarly saves you all this hard work and lets you focus on the content of your write-ups. It also checks your write-up's engagement and delivery.

Grammarly

It's distracting to read online articles when clickable ads and links are present. Pocket allows you to save articles for later use. Moreover, it removes all the distracting ads and links. Plus, it gives you the best reader view. If your eyes are tired, you can opt to listen to your article and customize the narrator's voice.

Pocket

The Internet is a place where everyone is bombarded with information. This information is quite hard to process if you have a chaotic mind. Medito offers its users free access to various types of meditation packs. Whether you are a student feeling anxious in exams or a distressed person you can always use Medito.

Medito

Online life is supposed to be convenient. But the internet is no different than a crowded city. Most of the time, we get lost, get tired, and fall into a vicious cycle of getting to work and getting distracted. Hence, here are 5 apps to make online life more convenient.

productivity

Productivity

technologyandthefuture

Technology & The Future

education

Learning & Education

How do I make my online life less exhausting?

Have you ever had so many ideas in your head? I think I have. I think we all have a lot of ideas going into our minds. Unfortunately, structuring those tangled and messy ideas is a challenge. It's been my problem for a very long time. Fortunately, there are a lot of apps that help us structure life-changing ideas. Here they are.

The best note-taking apps so far in the Internet

Transno is not just your typical note-taking app. It can also be an excellent tool for mind mapping. (Mind mapping is like organizing your ideas, creating associations with them, etc.) So, maybe, you should give this app a try. Your head will be a little bit less cluttered.

Transno

I'm a huge fan of the classic pen and notebook. But it's a shame if I didn't try digital note-taking. So, there's a lot of nice things going on with this app. But my all-time favorite is its notebook feature. Ok, some apps had labels or folders, but the interface is boring. With this app, you can create notebooks to classify your notes. You can change the covers of the notebook( their covers are artsy), lock it ( or make it accessible), and access it on other devices.

Zoho notebook

Getting things online can be messy. Like, I always said, there are a lot of distractions. Thankfully, google keep makes note-taking easy and minimalistic. There are no unimportant fancy things. The interface is just simple and neat.

Google Keep

It is probably the first note-taking app that I used. And, if my phone storage isn't at an all-time low these days, I'll still be using this. I mean, it is a sleek app because it contains customizable note-taking templates.

Evernote

Weava is a recent discovery. How I wish I had found this chrome extension sooner. This chrome extension allows you to highlight and take notes on a site in real-time. The nice thing is that you can also cite the text you highlighted in APA, MLA, etc. Very perfect for research students.

Weava

Every day, hundreds of ideas came into our minds. Unfortunately, because of the hustle and bustle of life, we often forget those ideas. Who knows? maybe one of those ideas is golden. So, we need some tools to help us structure and remember those ideas. Enter note-taking apps.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

writing

Reading & Writing

How to declutter my mind?

Ideally, online classes should be fun. I mean, this is the time where you can learn the lessons all by yourself. This is the time for exploration and experimentation ( something that you don't do in the traditional setting often) But, with ups are the downs.

Why online classes are hard? 

I am not just talking about distractions like social media stuff. (we have a bit of control over our social consumption) I'm talking about things that we have no freaking control like the constant lagging of the internet, the glitches in the apps we use and, so much more.

1. There's a lot of distractions.



You wash the dishes, feed the dog, clean the house, etc. All of these things you're going to do simultaneously with your online classes. I think it is a terrific recipe for burnout.

2. It's hard to juggle house chores and online classes.


If the internet lags a lot and when you need to finish your assignment, you sometimes need to wake up at midnight or, 3 am because that is when the internet connection is decent. Yeah, Filipino students can relate.

3. Everything is dependent on an internet connection. 

These ideas are important to me because they reflect my situation and the situation of my fellow students these days. I'm a BS math student and while, I'm privileged compared to others, taking online classes in this pandemic is quite hard. I'm sure there are a lot of people who will attest to this but can't because they're too busy to voice out their feelings.

online classes

Online life can be messy. I mean, there are emails and urgent chats that you need to respond to. Most of all, constant distractions coming from ads, fancy trends, social media never go away.So how do you declutter this messy place called online life?

Ways to declutter your online life

Your file storage is your home. I mean, this is where you put significant projects and documents. So you don't want it to get lost and be put to total waste.Here are some basic things that you should remember when decluttering your messy online storage:<ul><li>Rename files properly.</li><li>Delete unnecessary files.</li><li>Schedule a decluttering session.</li></ul>

Declutter your file storage.

With all the infinite information available, it's hard to decide what to keep and what to throw. Enter curation. Curation, at its core, is taking the crucial stuff and organizing them.So what are the things that you need to curate?Well, the world is at your fingertips. You can literally curate anything.&nbsp;

Curate content.

<ul><li>Websites and Newsletters. Every day, millions of sites give us daily information and entertainment. Unfortunately, we shouldn't bite more than we can chew. So, only choose the sites that will definitely help you.</li><li>Ideas. We are at the age of innovation. This means that millions of innovative ideas are made every hour. These ideas can be anything: productivity tips, how-tos, bullet articles, etc.</li><li>Apps. If you don't have the luxury of phone storage, you should definitely start thinking about the crucial apps in your life. They can make life easier, change your lifestyle, help you in your goals.</li></ul>

Things that you should curate

Social media and the internet can be super overwhelming. Put your phone away and take a deep breath.

Detoxify.

Jeanne Marie Quinanola on Nov 09

Here are the lessons I learned from my failed exams: my tips and must-haves for every cramming study session.

Basic tools you should have for every cramming session

Cramming sessions tends to be exhausting. I mean, who would not be exhausted processing a week worth of lessons?Enter highlighters. Cramming sessions are exhausting because we throw a bulk of information into our brains. To at least help our brain cells, it is better to break ideas into blocks.Also, unless you need to memorize all those stuff, it might just be better if you just put all the important stuff in your head first. Then leave the rest. I mean, this is cramming. Unless you have an eidetic memory, you can’t possibly cram too much information.

Highlighter

Writing on sticky notes is an effective way to break complicated information into simple blocks. Sticky notes are also helpful for adding bits of quotes or mnemonics.

Sticky Notes

I am not a fan of writing in static notebooks. I mean, I want my notes to be flexible as possible. Learning is dynamic, so should my notes be. Luckily, clips are lifesavers. Paperclips help me rearrange my lessons in not-so-hassle ways. I can add another shits of examples or add a corrected version of previous exams to any of my compiled lessons.

Clips

Whenever I am in cramming mode, I often forget to set a timer for myself. So, I ended up exhausting myself more than necessary. Setting a timer allows my brain to rest and process all the information you tried so hard to cram. Moreover, studying for too long can cause back pains and other physical problems. It would not be nice sitting in an exam with a backache.

Timer

Jeanne Marie Quinanola on Oct 31

I'm a BS Math student and, I believe that learning should not be confined to the classroom. With the internet, the world is literally our playground. So, here are 5 sites that help me traverse the complicated world of mathematics.

Best math sites out there

This site offers a glimpse into the life of mathematicians and scientists. What's even terrific is the way they explain big concepts unpretentiously. The site tackles anything from calculus, quantum mechanics, real-world math examples, etc.

 Cantor's Paradise

Aside from math concepts explained in the best way possible, this is one of the few sites that have a minimalistic design. Plus, no ads. I mean, math really becomes even more complicated when you are surrounded by distractions.

 Owlcation

If long math stuff and jargon had been boring you, definitely check this site. This site explains math in the easiest way possible, like your a five-year-old.

Math is Fun

If you're the type of person looking for more intricacy and challenge, then definitely check out this site. This site contains math/ programming problems in varying complexities.

 Project Euler

Another site for all the creative math people out there. I personally haven't tried this site. But I did check it out nevertheless. Aside from math problems, it also contains books, curriculums, etc.

Art of Problem Solving

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Jeanne Marie Quinanola on Oct 25

There's no denying that books are treasures for students. Books are where we can explore the world, learn life hacks and meet the greats in our history.  You might be a math student, a literature nerd, or just someone who loves to read. The point is you probably found yourself asking the million-dollar question: Where can I get free books on the internet?  I mean, not all of us have the luxury to buy a book. It's a known reality that a lot of students are broke. Luckily, some sites cater to broke but bookish people like us. So, here they are.

Where to get free books on the internet?

If you're the studious type of student, you should bookmark this site. This site contains books for calculus, social sciences, businesses, etc. I mean, where can you possibly get all those curated essential subject books. On top of that, you can also highlight and add notes to your chosen books on the site.

OpenStax

This site host classic books turned into audiobooks. Shakespeare. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. You name it. This site has all of that and more. Moreover, LibriVox audiobooks are read by volunteers around the world. If you want, you can always sign up to read a book. What a way to bring bookish people together!

Librivox

Ok. Technically this site does not offer free books. Instead, what it provides are free collections of short stories from different genres. I think that this site is handy for busy readers. I mean, if you can't read a book, then maybe reading a short story is equally helpful. If you miss Edgar Allan Poe's scary stories and Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales, then try to visit this site.

American Literature

Hello humanity students! International Relations is such a daunting word. I mean, what're all these buzzwords: realism, hegemony, marxism, constructivism. Thankfully, during my debate years, this site saves me. Aside from the helpful articles available on the site, it also offers free books that explain International Relations in a not-so-technical manner. Visit this site if your nose is already bleeding from all the jargon.

E-International Relations

Reading a book is fantastic, but it can also be exhausting. Luckily, this site offers audiobooks from various genres. Whether you're fond of Camus or of classic books like Moby Dick and the Great Gatsby, this site offers those things in audiobook format.

AudioAZ

books

Books

Jeanne Marie Quinanola on Oct 18

Ok. As you know, emails newsletters are simply curated content sent to subscribers of a site. On this noisy internet, maybe newsletters are the way to go for busy students.

Why busy students should subscribe to newsletters?

There's truth in the adage: Don't bite more than you can chew. Social media is absolutely the place where you are compelled to bite more than you can chew. The amount of information available for consumption is just too exhausting. Every day, you endlessly scroll through a barrage of information just to get updated. Yet, you only remember a few of those posts anyway. So, why not opt to receive few articles that you can actually remember.

Helps control social media consumption.

If there's one thing that busy people hate, it's probably the nuisance ads. I mean, all those ads are simply distracting. Getting a newsletter will not mean that you can say goodbye to ads. It just means that you don't need to surf the web and be toppled by waves of ads.

 Helps you avoid ads.

In an age of information, it's easy to get lost in a plethora of morning posts, cat videos, and ads. If those things matter to you, then great. But for other people, those things are just diversions. If you want to read things that matter, maybe you should consider putting those things in your email inbox.

Read articles that matter to you.

Scrolling every day for hours is sedentary. Instead of endlessly scrolling through the noise, why not read few articles that matter to you in a short time.

Save time.

Jeanne Marie Quinanola on Oct 17

We live in a society that does not glorify choosing yourself. It is not honoured.

We live in a society that celebrates kindness, compassion, and resiliency to the point of toxicity. Being selfish is simply a bad trait. But, sometimes, selfishness is self-love.Setting boundaries is fine. Selfishness is fine. People should not be compelled to cater to the whims of this civilization.

Setting boundaries

When we find it difficult to say ‘no’ at work or at home, our responsibilities can quickly become overwhelming. For good mental health, focusing on our own needs and capabilities is crucial

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

communication

Communication

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

The power of no: how to build strong, healthy boundaries

The worst advice we give students is to ignore how much money specific fields tend to make. After all, making money is a grubby business, so we tell kids to pick fields of study based on intellectual affinity, academic curiosity, and following your passion.

Here's the cliche advice: Follow your passion. But there are several problems with this advice.  1. Sometimes passion is not the main priority. It's money.Some students are breadwinners. They go to school to help their poverty-stricken families. Others are just simply broke. The "follow your passion" advice is simply too idealistic. 2. We should not romanticize being broke for the sake of passion. We love adoring people who work hard for their passion. But, we rarely see the ugly side of it. Following one's passion meant making sacrifices. Sadly, some of those sacrifices don't payout.

Choosing college majors

College students are inundated terrible advice. Here's what I would tell my 18-year old self if I were starting today.